Nice

The Place That Had Everything We Wanted

Kyle had prioritized Nice early.

He liked the architecture, the food, the way the city met the beach and the ease of moving through it. We planned six nights because Nice was not only a stop on the coast; it was the base from which we hoped to experience several versions of the French Riviera.

The city delivered quickly. From our apartment in Old Nice, the beach was only a few minutes away, restaurants filled the streets below and the markets at Cours Saleya changed from one morning to the next. Flowers, food, jewelry, soaps and toys became part of the route out of the apartment. We generally walked through a market every day.

Nice also worked for the boys. The Promenade du Paillon gave us playgrounds and a splash pad. Carousels appeared at both ends of long walks. Trains made Monaco, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Menton simple outings without a rental car. Even when a day went sideways in Antibes, we could change the plan and return by rail.

By the end of the stay, Nice had checked nearly every box our family brings to a trip: beaches, color, walkability, public transportation, good food and wine, an Old Town with energy and easy access to places that felt distinct from one another. The coast did not feel like one repeated view. It gave us a different reason to love it almost every day.

Nice worked as both the destination and the doorway to the rest of the Riviera.

One Base, Four Riviera Outings

Nice was the fixed point. We arrived by car after Aix and Cannes, returned the rental and relied on walking and public transportation for the rest of the stay. Eastbound trains carried us to Monaco, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Menton. Antibes sat west of Nice; we traveled there by Uber and returned by train.

The itinerary left meaningful time in Nice instead of treating the city as a place to sleep between day trips. June 10 belonged entirely to Nice. June 12 and June 13 combined shorter outings with mornings or evenings back in the city. That balance is one reason six nights felt substantial rather than rushed.

A Demanding Arrival into an Apartment We Loved

Cannes Satisfied Our Curiosity

We left Aix-en-Provence and stopped briefly in Cannes for lunch, a walk along the beachfront promenade and time at a park near the beach. The town had the glitz and glamour we expected. Once we had seen it, eaten and let the boys play, we were ready to continue toward Nice.

The Car Return and Luggage Walk Required More Than Expected

We reached Nice around 4:30 p.m. and returned the Sixt rental car downtown near the waterfront. The final drive required care because some streets and parking-garage passages were extremely narrow. From there, we carried the boys and luggage toward Old Nice.

The walk was farther and more cumbersome than we expected. An Uber could have reduced some of the effort, although the last portion still had to be completed on foot because the apartment sat inside a car-free area. Arrival felt like a lot after the drive, car return and luggage transfer, but we checked in and settled everyone.

The Apartment Was One of the Strongest Stays of the Trip

Our Airbnb was listed as “Nice Mer & Cours Saleya Serenity Luxury - 2 Suites.” The two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom apartment was exceptionally clean, modern and beautifully maintained. Each bedroom had its own bathroom, and the setup gave our family both shared space and privacy. The décor fit our style well.

It also had laundry, which mattered during a longer trip. It did not have an elevator, so every arrival and departure required two flights of stairs. Even with that tradeoff, this is an apartment we would confidently recommend and would gladly choose again.

Old Nice Was Outside the Door

The beach was a few minutes away. Restaurants and the Cours Saleya market area began almost immediately outside. Playgrounds, the splash pad, the promenade and public transportation were walkable. Even Nice-Ville station was reachable on foot, although the walk felt substantial when we were tired.

That first evening, we ate at an unnamed restaurant in the square outside the apartment, walked through Old Nice and continued to the promenade for our first look at the sea. It was a simple introduction after a complicated arrival.

We Tried to See All of Nice at Once

Playgrounds, a Carousel and the Port

We ate breakfast at a small place near the apartment, then walked to the Promenade du Paillon. Several play areas sit along the park, and we settled at one with swings, slides and climbing structures before continuing to the carousel at Place Garibaldi.

From there, we walked toward Port Lympia. The 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference was taking place that week, and the diplomatic security footprint limited how much of the port we could access. We had not understood the restrictions before walking over, so the visit was shorter than planned.

A Pastry Walk During Naps

We returned to the apartment for naps. While the boys slept, I walked intentionally to Philippe Tayac Pâtisserie, a stop I had saved before the trip. The chocolate-chip cookie croissant was one of the best pastries we ate during the stay.

Butter Chicken, Water Play and One More Carousel

We had a late lunch at Indian Lounge near the apartment. The butter chicken and naan were excellent, making the restaurant one of our clear Nice recommendations. After naps and lunch, we returned to the Promenade du Paillon for the splash pad.

We ended the evening at the carousel in Jardin Albert 1er. In one day, we had crossed the city from playgrounds to the port, back through Old Nice and toward the waterfront. We knew we had several days left, but our first impression was strong enough that we wanted to see everything.

Monaco Was Easy to Reach and Enough to See Once

The Train Made Another Country Feel Close

We stopped at La Boulangerie par Michel Fiori near Nice-Ville station and took the train to Monaco. The ride was approximately 20 to 25 minutes, trains ran regularly and adult fares were roughly EUR 5 to EUR 6. Monaco's exceptionally clean station made an immediate impression.

Casino Square, Luxury Cars and the Port

We did not arrive with a detailed sightseeing plan. We wanted to walk toward the casino, see the luxury cars and continue to the port for the enormous yachts. It was hot, and the boys did not have much tolerance for an extended day outside.

We ate indoors at Café de Paris Monte-Carlo beside the casino. The air-conditioning mattered, and the boys loved what may have been the most expensive chicken nuggets and milk we have ever purchased. After lunch, we walked the port before returning to Nice.

Interesting, Impressive and Less Our Style

We were glad to experience Monaco and add another country to our family's travels. The trip was simple, the yachts and cars were memorable and the setting was undeniably polished. But its conspicuous luxury felt flashier than even the luxury places our family tends to enjoy most. We were happy to see it and did not leave feeling that we needed more.

The Best Meal Came Back in Nice

That evening, we walked beyond our usual Old Nice footprint to Hacienda Bar y Cocina. I had been searching for tacos for Preston, and after another possibility did not have table seating, we ended up at Hacienda. Its rotating, tapas-style Latin menu produced one of the best meals we have had anywhere in our travels.

The Beach Day We Would Gladly Repeat

From the Train to the Water

We took the train from Nice to Villefranche-sur-Mer and walked down toward Plage des Marinières. Les Bains de la Plage sat almost immediately below the station, making it easy to move from the train to a settled beach setup.

Front-Row Loungers and a Nap That Extended the Day

We rented front-row loungers near the lifeguard stand and stayed from the morning into the early afternoon. Avery fell asleep on a lounger, so we did not have to cut the day short or return to Nice for his nap. Preston played along the shoreline and in the clear, calm water.

The club had a bin of children's toys, including buckets, shovels, noodles and floats. We rarely travel with much beach gear, so having everything available kept the boys engaged longer than arriving with nothing would have. We ordered drinks, snacks and an easy beach lunch.

A Small-Pebble Beach Where Water Shoes Earned Their Place

The beach was made of small rocks and pebbles rather than soft sand. Water shoes were a very good choice. The tradeoff was clear water and a relatively flat shoreline that worked well for our family.

Villefranche-sur-Mer became one of our favorite stops of the entire trip. We would absolutely return and would consider staying there, although choosing it over the Old Nice neighborhood we loved would be difficult.

Back in Nice, we ate at PitaDine and took an easy family walk along the beachfront promenade.

Menton Deserved More Than an Afternoon

One More Splash-Pad Morning in Nice

The boys wanted to return to the Promenade du Paillon splash pad, so we began the day there. Lunch was at Loka Bar Kitchen, where we ate very good burgers on a shaded patio in a busy part of Nice. It was an easy place to sit, people-watch and enjoy the city before the train.

The Color Was Exactly What Drew Us In

We took a late-afternoon train to Menton. I had saved the town because our family is drawn to colorful places along the water, and Menton exceeded that expectation. Narrow pastel buildings lined the waterfront and gave the city the visual character we had hoped to find.

We wished we had arrived earlier. One afternoon did not feel like enough, and we seriously considered returning the next day instead of going to Antibes. A playground near the central beach promenade gave the boys room to move before dinner.

Pizza Before the Train Home

We ate at Pizzeria 430 Gradi, where the pizza was excellent, then walked back toward the station. The train to Nice took approximately 35 to 45 minutes and cost under EUR 10 per person. The walk between the station and waterfront required a little effort, but the outing remained easy.

Menton moved quickly onto our return list. Next time, we would arrive earlier, give it more of the day and consider whether it could work as part of a split stay.

The Antibes Plan Changed Before We Arrived

We Chose the Car Because We Were Already Tired

Earlier in the day, we had walked around Nice's port and out toward a promenade lookout while carrying the boys in hiking backpacks. Nice-Ville station was still a meaningful walk from Old Nice, so we chose an Uber for the mid-afternoon trip to Antibes.

Carsickness Reshaped the Afternoon

Avery became extremely carsick during the ride. The driver's fast, aggressive style likely contributed. We were able to pull over before he became sick inside the car, but he needed a full change of clothes when we arrived.

A carousel happened to be near the drop-off point, which gave Preston something cheerful to do while we regrouped. Avery recovered completely once he was out of the car and was able to enjoy the rest of the outing.

A Walk, Pizza and the Train Back

We had imagined a longer beach afternoon, but the beach near our arrival point was much more crowded than the one we had enjoyed in Villefranche-sur-Mer. We shifted the plan, walked through town and found an unnamed pizza restaurant where everyone could sit, eat and reset.

For the return, we walked to the station and took the train. Even while tired, the longer walk felt preferable to risking another car ride. We were glad we saw Antibes, but the interrupted start and crowded beach meant we experienced less than we had planned.

The Markets Were Part of Almost Every Day

Because our apartment sat beside the Cours Saleya market area, the markets were not something we visited once and checked off. They were part of leaving the apartment. We generally walked through one every day of the stay.

The offerings shifted: food and flowers on one pass, jewelry, soaps, toys and other goods on another. Returning to the same neighborhood did not feel repetitive because the streets presented something different from one day to the next.

That daily market culture is one of the strongest arguments for staying in Old Nice again. It gave the mornings energy before we had made a formal plan and made the neighborhood feel lived in rather than simply convenient.

In Old Nice, the market was not a stop on the itinerary. It was the route into the day.

Why the Riviera Worked for Our Family

Nice Gave Us Familiar Places to Return To

The boys asked to revisit the splash pad, and we did. The Promenade du Paillon also offered several playgrounds, while carousels at Place Garibaldi and Jardin Albert 1er created easy moments of delight inside long walking days.

The Trains Reduced the Logistical Weight

Monaco, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Menton did not require a new rental car, parking plan or child seats. The stations were walkable, service was frequent and the rides were short enough to feel like part of the outing rather than a separate travel day.

A Beach Club Made the Best Beach Day Easier

Les Bains de la Plage worked because several small conveniences aligned: front-row loungers, clear water, toys already available, food on site and a lounger nap for Avery. None of those details alone made the day; together, they gave us more time to enjoy it.

Pebbles and Stairs Were the Main Physical Tradeoffs

Water shoes mattered on the small-pebble shoreline. At the apartment, the absence of an elevator meant stairs every time we came and went. Neither issue changed our overall verdict, but both belong in the practical picture.

What We Ate

Hacienda Was the Meal We Will Remember

Hacienda Bar y Cocina was the best meal of our Nice stay and one of the strongest meals from any of our travels. The restaurant sat outside our usual footprint and used a rotating tapas-style Latin menu. We found it while looking for tacos for Preston, and the detour rewarded us.

Indian Lounge Became an Easy Old Nice Recommendation

The butter chicken and naan at Indian Lounge were excellent. Its location near the apartment made it a simple late lunch after naps without sacrificing the quality of the meal.

Pastries Were Worth Their Own Walks

I went specifically to Philippe Tayac Pâtisserie for the chocolate-chip cookie croissant. We also picked up pastries from Maison Blacker later in the stay and stopped at La Boulangerie par Michel Fiori before the Monaco train.

The Day Trips Each Had Their Own Easy Meal

Café de Paris Monte-Carlo gave us air-conditioning and the boys' very expensive chicken nuggets and milk. Les Bains de la Plage handled beach drinks, snacks and lunch. Loka Bar Kitchen served very good burgers on a shaded Nice patio. Pizzeria 430 Gradi gave the Menton afternoon a relaxed ending.

A Riviera Base Can Replace a Rental Car

We needed a car to move from Aix through Cannes and into Nice. Once we returned it, the car stopped being useful to the version of the Riviera we wanted to experience. Nice itself was walkable, and the coastal train line made several day trips straightforward.

For our family, the train was easier than navigating narrow streets, parking garages and child seats. The difference became especially clear after the Uber ride to Antibes. We chose the car because the station walk felt tiring, but one difficult ride reminded us that door-to-door is not automatically the easier option.

What worked for our family was choosing a base with daily life outside the door and reserving rail for the places that extended beyond it. We still walked a great deal, including to Nice-Ville station, but the transportation plan stayed simple and gave each outing a clear beginning and end.

On this coast, the right base and the train line did more for us than keeping a car.

Favorite Destinations Still Have Hard Days

The Old Nice Arrival Needed a Better Transfer Plan

Returning the rental car downtown and carrying kids and luggage into the pedestrian area was harder than expected. We would map how close a car or van could get to the apartment and separate the luggage transfer from the rental return if possible.

Monaco Was Worth Seeing Without Becoming a Favorite

The easy train, pristine station, casino district and port made Monaco a worthwhile outing. The heat limited the boys' patience, and the display of wealth felt less connected to the things our family most values in a destination. We can appreciate seeing a place without needing to build a return around it.

Antibes Was Not the Day We Planned

Carsickness, a full clothing change and a more crowded beach narrowed the outing. Avery recovered, Preston found a carousel and we still walked and ate together. The day was not a failure; it was a smaller experience than the one we had imagined.

The Flight Home Was Our Hardest Travel Day with the Boys

A private van arranged through our Airbnb host took us to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport for the Delta flight to Atlanta and onward to Columbus. The early start became an exceptionally long day. Avery barely slept, grew increasingly overtired and had several breakdowns.

The hardest moment came in Atlanta, where nothing seemed to calm him and he wanted only Kyle. Other travelers let us move ahead in line while we tried to buy milk, and people seated near us recognized how calmly Kyle had handled the flight. Avery eventually fell completely asleep in the airport. We reached home very late.

We did not knowingly choose a poor route; it was the itinerary available to get home. Sometimes a family can reduce risk with scheduling, food, rest and familiar comforts. Sometimes everyone simply has to move through a difficult travel day together.

What We Would Repeat and Change

What We Would Do Again

• Stay six nights when using Nice as both a destination and a Riviera base.
• Choose Old Nice again for markets, restaurants, beach access and family-friendly public spaces.
• Build multiple mornings around the Cours Saleya markets rather than treating them as one visit.
• Return to the Promenade du Paillon playgrounds and splash pad when the boys ask.
• Use trains for Monaco, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Menton.
• Rent loungers at Les Bains de la Plage and bring water shoes.
• Give Menton a full day instead of a late afternoon.
• Return to Hacienda Bar y Cocina and Indian Lounge.
• Keep a private airport transfer for departure from a pedestrian Old Town apartment.

What We Would Adjust

• Arrange a better luggage handoff between the rental return and the Old Nice apartment.
• Check major conferences or security restrictions before planning time around Port Lympia.
• Consider a split stay or longer outing in Villefranche-sur-Mer or Menton.
• Choose the train over a car for Antibes, even if the station walk feels longer.
• Start Menton earlier and give Antibes more time if returning.
• Protect rest as much as the flight schedule allows before a long westbound travel day.

Who Is This Trip For?

Nice works especially well for families who want a city and beach in the same day, prefer walking and public transportation, enjoy food and markets as part of daily life and want several easy day trips without changing hotels.

Why Nice Ranks Near the Top for Us

Nice did not require us to choose between the things we enjoy most. We could walk through a flower market in the morning, let the boys play at a splash pad, eat exceptionally well, reach another country by train and still come home to an evening promenade beside the sea.

The smaller outings added contrast. Monaco showed us a version of the coast we were glad to see once. Villefranche-sur-Mer gave us the beach day we would repeat. Menton gave us the color and waterfront we wished we had allowed more time to experience. Antibes reminded us that a changed plan can still hold a family memory.

Six nights felt right. Less time would have forced Nice to compete with the rest of the Riviera. Instead, it remained the center: the place with the markets, food, playgrounds, transportation and Old Town rhythm that made every return feel good.

We could imagine staying in Villefranche-sur-Mer or Menton next time. Still, giving up Old Nice would be difficult. The neighborhood made the trip feel full before we had boarded a single train.

Nice checked every box we bring to a family trip — and gave us a coast we are already imagining again.